Last week we, along with our our friends and colleagues at the Guardian Project, released the first public beta app from the SecureSmartCam project.

ObscuraCam, an Android camera phone application is the result of a 7 month long collaboration between WITNESS and The Guardian Project. (Get the app below via the QR code). In an excellent post by Derek on the Guardian Project’s blog, he explains how ObscuraCam works:

The goal of the SecureSmartCam project is to design and develop a new type of smartphone camera app that makes it simple for the user to respect the visual privacy, anonymity and consent of the subjects they photograph or record, while also enhancing their own ability to control the personally identifiable data stored inside that photo or video… In this first release we have focused on ‘obscura’ by optimizing the workflow of identity obfuscation in still images. Future releases will look at ‘informa,’ the process of properly gaining and recording informed consent from subjects, while also moving to video.

The SecureSmartCam project is one of the key pieces of our Cameras Everywhere Leadership initiative in which we both advocate for better technologies and technology policies for human rights defenders as well as actively participate in their development.

We are proud to be part of this project and are excited for future development over the next year. If you’d like to stay informed about our progress, follow this blog and join our Facebook Page.

In the meantime, if you’d like to try out the app, use the QR code below:

Note: For those who can’t access the Android Market, the app can also be downloaded from our GitHub public builds folder.